Soundman2020 - Studio Design Forum

GraGra wrote:Interestingly, my brother has been trying to convince me to use air-crete, ...

you can skip it. we were forced to use it for the red bull studio in NYC where we were pouring about 15 tons to create 4" floating slabs. building dept said no, that is too heavy (we're in the basement mind you) so instead we using 12" of aircrete stuff (which ultimately was 15 tons) -- worse though was the loss of 8" in ceiling height -- esp when we had to factor in power lines (2000 amp) which could not be moved (so another 16" lost), and really for no other reason than some building code person didn't have a clue.

GraGra wrote:Interestingly, my brother has been trying to convince me to use air-crete, ...

you can skip it. we were forced to use it for the red bull studio in NYC where we were pouring about 15 tons to create 4" floating slabs. building dept said no, that is too heavy (we're in the basement mind you) so instead we using 12" of aircrete stuff (which ultimately was 15 tons) -- worse though was the loss of 8" in ceiling height -- esp when we had to factor in power lines (2000 amp) which could not be moved (so another 16" lost), and really for no other reason than some building code person didn't have a clue.

Hi folks, I wanted to provide a little project update.

After inspection of the existing structure with the builder and an engineer, it was determined that were enough structural inadequacies to warrant pulling it down from scratch. So thats the way we are proceeding.

After Stuarts suggestion of using a layer of OSB to improve sheer strength and add a nailing surface, the builder suggested using Yellow Tongue flooring. This product which works out at 13kg/sqm at a cost of $1.4/kg of mass, which is almost exactly the same cost/kg as Fyrecheck, and significantly cheaper than 6mm OSB which is $4.75/kg. As it is a particle baord I was concerned about moisture damage in the external walls, however it's advertised as being water resistant.
Has any one used Yellow Tongue? Can you see any concerns?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/3600-x-800mm-19mm-flooring-particleboard-yellow-tongue_p0148884

For insulation, I'm looking at getting Earthwool R1.8 batts. They have a density of 11kg/m3 and cost $6.50/m3.
Has anyone used Earthwool R1.8? Do they look appropriate or is there a more cost efficient product available in Australia?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/earthwool-1 ... lsrc=aw.ds

Due to the astronomical costs of construction currently, my initial budget of 150k is not going to be achievable, so I'm saving a little money by removing a few internal windows and one wall, and using two mini splt aircon units instead of fully ducted. We'll build the wall frames to accommodate adding these windows and walls easily in later years if they prove to be neccesary.



And finally, demolition of the existing garage has begun!
I cant believe its finally happening - and even after planning it for so long I'm still so unprepared!

on the planning side - why have the door directly next to the critical listening position -- essentially creating an asymmetric space there? versus having the door on the adjoining wall by the keyboard (opposite the couch)? minimal foot traffic between rooms and studio entry (if and when used) and better options for treating the "mix room" portion of the space.

That door position is a hangover from the original design, where I had an internal wall running down the middle to create an iso booth. In that design it seemed the most logical place for a door, as I wanted avoid traffic through the booth, especially if there's drums set up in there. I removed the internal wall to save some money, but left the door under the assumption that I will most likely build that wall later down the track.

I figured I can still treat the mix position with removable treatment on the door itself.

i'd move the exterior door to be closer to the corner, move the inner door opposite the couch. this leaves room for the keyboard on the outer wall and then add sliding glass doors to separate the drum and that alcove. you now have a proper air lock, iso booth, and full visibility between them later when you add a (red line) wall...

Thanks for your input with this Glenn, Ive been flip-flopping on this part of the design for a while!

So Ive moved the internal door opposite the couch, off centre so it opens into the corner of the alcove and allows options for couch placement.
If I do convert the alcove to a booth, I wanted the option to accommodate the drum-kit if needed, so I though best to leave the external door closer to the corner.
And, the keyboard also now lives much happily next to the mixing desk!

ok.. maybe explain the workflow? you have two studios - one presumably for teaching, and one for recording and mixing. and you're leaving a chunk off the corner for? rather maybe going to full 5.5 x 9.3 for the building? then you could use one corner for the air lock entries / couch between units?

Yes, thats pretty much right.
The Piano Studio is used for teaching mostly just individual lessons.
Initially, the Piano Studio was just the 3.3 x 3.3m square, and the 6 x 5.5m Recording studio was divided into a control room and a live room. However my wife wanted space for a couch so parents could attend, so I gave up a portion of the live room, and whats left is now the Booth.

As for why theres a "çhunk" off the corner, that is the maximum footprint allowed as it follows the footprint of my house with a mandatory 1.8m path between. Í'd go bigger of I could!

ok, so maybe then consider going back to the original door on the upper left of the CR - but - have the desk setup down by the iso booth. i think those two doors in the small iso booth will be crowded

You mean like this?
Agreed the traffic flow looks much better, but then I have big glass doors on one side of the mix position, which I expect will be nothing but trouble. In this case, Id prefer to deal with the cramped doorways than compromise the mix position.

so a few approaches - #1 angle the glass - i'd not do that in this case - losing floor space and not equal to opposing wall; #2 use movable absorption panels to match the opposing wall - this is likely the better option; #3 combine the moveable panels with heavy theater drapes over the glass.

Hi Graeme

Sorry for being late to the party

GraGra wrote:After Stuarts suggestion of using a layer of OSB to improve sheer strength and add a nailing surface, the builder suggested using Yellow Tongue flooring. This product which works out at 13kg/sqm at a cost of $1.4/kg of mass, which is almost exactly the same cost/kg as Fyrecheck, and significantly cheaper than 6mm OSB which is $4.75/kg. As it is a particle baord I was concerned about moisture damage in the external walls, however it's advertised as being water resistant.
Has any one used Yellow Tongue? Can you see any concerns?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/3600-x-800mm-19mm-flooring-particleboard-yellow-tongue_p0148884
For insulation, I'm looking at getting Earthwool R1.8 batts. They have a density of 11kg/m3 and cost $6.50/m3.
Has anyone used Earthwool R1.8? Do they look appropriate or is there a more cost efficient product available in Australia?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/earthwool-1 ... lsrc=aw.ds

I'm using Yellowtongue on one part of the the inside of my structure - well away from any moisture. While it is moisture resistant (at least on the faces), it definitely will take on water and end up expanding and going to mush. Its a pity OSB is so expensive here - the guys overseas have much better options for external walls (Here's a pic that should have been already posted if I got around to doing an update . This wall is between my studio area and workshop.) (Interestingly, my engineer would only allow ply or OSB for shear bracing).

On the insulation, I checked this out extensively about 12 months back - to find the cheapest, lowest density product in Oz - I ended up with a combination of Bradford Gold and Earthwool and Bunnings or Pricewise as suppliers depending on price. (BTW - Scrooz are cheapest for screws and Trade Supply Direct for Sika FC11 sausages - you will use a truckload of that...I'm on my 4th box and will use 5 by the end)

Good luck with it!

Andrew

yeah, shear bracing require something which is not going to fall apart with moisture and thus lose structural integrity weird, almost like they don't want the structure to collapse on you...

yeah...I've learned a lot about the various properties of timber and timber panels on this journey!